An Ethiopian restaurant will open in downtown Asheville this summer.

ASHEVILLE – For those of you who have clamored for Ethiopian food, the wait is over.

Asheville is set to get its first Ethiopian restaurant, Addissae, some time this summer. “We’ve been looking for quite some time and we finally signed a lease,” said Vicki Schomer, who will open Addissae with husband, Neeraj Kebede, who is from Ethiopia.

The duo, who also own Asheville Green Cottages, will open the restaurant at 48 Commerce Street in downtown Asheville. Firestorm Cafe was the last tenant at that site.

“We’re getting ready to start our build-out,” said Schomer, who was raised in Virginia and lived in the San Francisco Bay area for more than 20 years. The couple moved here eight years ago and has long searched for space to open their restaurant. “It was worth the wait,” said Schomer.

The desire for Ethiopian food runs strong locally, said Schomer. “It’s probably not a bad thing, but Neeraj gets phone calls every other day for reservations,” she said. “Just from our Facebook page and people wanting it so bad.”